Rob Ford, Mayor of Toronto, Ontario in Canada, responded yesterday — with an apology which was not accepted — to libel proceedings served to him by lawyers for Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale on Thursday.

The proceedings were filed in response to comments made in a televised discussion with Conrad Black on the VisionTV program "theZoomer" on December 9, in which Ford allegedly insinuated pedophilia by Dale. On Monday, Dale announced he intended to proceed with a statement of claim after Ford failed to respond to the libel notice in a timely manner.

In his apology, delivered at a Toronto city council meeting yesterday, Ford stated it was never his intention to suggest Dale was a pedophile, and he never personally witnessed the reporter in his backyard or peering over his fence, as alleged in the television program. He said the allegations were based upon the word of a long-time neighbour, that someone had been "lurking" near the Mayor's backyard.

Dale was not present in the council chambers at the time of the Mayor's statement, and has indicated he deemed the apology insufficient, and will be proceeding with a defamation action in an Ontario court.

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